Once Upon a Time There Was an Ocean

Okay peoples, I'm back. Sorry for the Houdini moves the past several months; life hasn't been very bloggable as of late. But all that has changed because I just finished editing my photographs from a recent road trip I took with my dad and sister down to Charleston, SC.

We rented an RV and camped out at James Island County Park, a wonderful spot minutes away from Folly Beach and downtown Charleston. If you're an outdoorsy person and happen to be down that way, it's worth checking out (bike trails, rock climbing wall, kayaking). Good stuff. We settled in the first afternoon and then explored via bike for a few hours. We found this spot just off the trail that opened up to a view of beautiful marshland:

The views were beautiful, so we went back a few nights later to catch the sunset:

We headed over to Folly Beach to paint/draw/photograph landscapes, and we happened upon an old lighthouse. Apparently the Morris Island Lighthouse has fallen victim to serious erosion; it stands alone in the sea, surrounded by water on all sides.

While I walked along the beach, my sister and Dad did some acrylic paintings of the lighthouse. (I'll need to post their finished artwork soon.) I later joined them to do some graphite drawings with acrylic washes.

The weather at Folly Beach couldn't have been better. I'm OVER winter, and it was such a treat to be out in the warm sunshine. There have only been a few family vacations to the coast when it isn't 100° or more with crazy humidity, so this was such a nice experience in contrast.

We also went downtown to check out a few art galleries and find a spot to do paintings. We were inspired by Charleston's historic architecture to do some landscapes of the homes, so we set up in a small park with the water behind us. Aren't these trees beautiful!

These trees were my favorite part of Charleston. For whatever reason, I just couldn't get into drawing/painting, so I listened to music and read Rules for Radicals under the shade of these gigantic trees. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

I also learned about what it's like to create in a public space. Where do all these spectators come from?? I guess Heather and Dad are used to it, but I admit that I would have been a little unnerved by people hovering over my shoulder watching my every move.

We later tried to get a Charleston-style meal at Slightly North of Broad, but we caught them in-between lunch and dinner. I was a little disappointed since our friends Brian and Heather recommended it. However, after seeing all Charleston has to offer, I'm now looking forward to hitting SNOB up on my next visit to this beautiful, historic city.

Hummmm... other happenings. We painted by campfire, listened to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion, and had a wonderful time glamping out in our little rented RV. I shot most of our photos with the Nikon SLR, but it was nice to have the smaller Cannon P80 for bike rides. And that, my friends, concludes my photo-tour of our latest adventure.

Ashley.


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”--Mark Twain